EMT2455 Data Communications
Instructor: Dr. X. Li
Email: xhli@citytech.cuny.edu
Office Hours: See announcement on the Blackboard.
Note: with the waning of COVID, the office hours have been back to in-person.
Welcome to EMT2455 Data Communications, one of the fundamental courses to computer networks. This webpage can simply be reached by googling “City Tech EMT2455 Dr. Li”.
Course Description
Fundamentals of data communications and computer networks protocols and standards. It provides a basic understanding of data communication systems with practical examples of communication networks as applied in engineering technology. Study of OSI and TCP/IP models, data transmissions, multiplexing, transmission media, channel capacity, bandwidth utilization, network topologies, network cabling system, IP addressing, local area networks (LANs), wide area networks (WANs), and wireless network. Students carry out experiments using modern hardware and software networking tools.
Syllabus and Grading PolicY
| Items | Percentage |
|---|---|
|
Attendance |
10% |
|
Quizzes |
20% |
|
Labs |
20% |
|
Midterm Exam |
20% |
|
Final Exam & Extra Credits |
30% |
A: 93~100 A-: 90~92.99 B+: 87~89.99 B: 83~86.99 B-: 80~82.99 C+: 77~79.99 C: 70~76.99 D: 60~69.99
Course Documents
- Course Syllabus: Detailed information about the course and course policies, including requisites, textbook, grading policy, and other course policies.
- Lab Reports Requirements: Detailed requirements on lab experiments and lab reports (including report’s content and format).
- Guide on How to Write Technical Reports: A very good guide written by IET (Institute of Engineering & Technology, one of the largest international non-for-profit engineering professional organizations, dated back to 1871).
- User Guide of the Crimp Tool: The simple user guide that come with the crimp tool we used in the class.
Weekly Schedule
| Class# | Topics | Slides/Handouts | Others |
|---|---|---|---|
|
1 |
Intro to Course and course syllabus |
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Ch 1. Intro to Computer Networks and history of the Internet, ISO OSI and TCP/IP models, service structures, packet switching, and encapsulation |
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4, 5 |
Ch 2-1. Network topology, multiplexing, transmission media, fiber optical communication, wireless computer network, IEEE802.11, structural cabling system, devices for home LAN/WLAN |
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Quiz 1 Ch 2-2. Internet Backbone |
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7 |
Ch 2-3. Submarine Communications Cables |
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8 |
Ch 2-4. Data and signal, frequency domain analysis, signal transmission, bandwidth, modulation, baseband & broadband, Nyquist bit rate, Shannon capacity |
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9 |
Midterm Exam HW2 & 3 Presentations |
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10, 11 |
Ch 3. Data Link Layer: Ethernet, IEEE802.3, CSMA/CD protocol, Ethernet frame, CRC, MAC address, 10Base-T/100Base-T, Gigabit Ethernets
Lab 1: Introduction to Packet Analyzer |
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12 |
Ch 3 (contd). Ethernet cables
Lab 2: Building an Ethernet cable |
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Quiz 2
Ch 4. Network Layer -- ARP, IPv4 addressing
Lab 4: ARP |
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BYOD next class |
|
14 |
Lab 3: WLAN Site Survey |
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15 |
Final Exam |
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*Lab3 (NYCCT WLAN Site Survey) Materials:
- Experiment Procedure & Handout: Posted on the Blackboard
- Floorplans of Namm Building:
Note: if a sector map is missed, or there is any inconsistency between sector and floorplan maps, use the map of the corresponding entire floor for accuracy.
GroundFL_SectorA 1stFL_SectorA 1stFL 2ndFL 2ndFL_SectorA 2ndFL_SectorB 3rdFL_SectorA 4thFL 4thFL_SectorB 4thFL_SectorC(Library 1level) 5thFL_SectorC(Library 2level) - Floorplans of Voorhees Building: Voorhees 6FL, Voorhees 1FL
Lab software
- WireShark: It is a free, and one of the most popular packet/protocol analyzer software. It supports Linux, OS X, BSD, Solaris, and Microsoft Windows. https://www.wireshark.org/download.html
- Capsa Free by ColaSoft: Free, but registration is required! Runs on Windows only. http://www.colasoft.com/capsa-free/
- OPNET: One of the most popular commercial computer networks modeling, simulation and performance management software. OPNET Modeler has an academic edition available: https://enterprise37.opnet.com/4dcgi/SIGNUP_NewUserOther
- ns-2: The very powerful and advanced network simulator widely used in research and high-ed teaching. It is open-source. It runs on GNU/Linux, FreeBSD, Solaris, Mac OS X and Windows that support Cygwin. One needs to know scripting language, queuing theory and modelling techniques to use it. ns-2 (build of 2009) is not actively maintained any more.
- ns-3: Descendant of the very famous ns-2. Advanced and complex as ns-2, but unfortunately not backward compatible with ns-2. Just like ns-2, ns-3 has no GUI and requires very considerable time to learn and use. http://www.nsnam.org/
Announcements
- Open Lab is Available! Please be advised that effective from the 5th Thursday of this semester, open lab will be available in room V606, V608 and V613. You are welcome to use these lab rooms and equipment there to work on your projects or lab experiments. Open Lab hours are: Thursdays 11:20AM-2:00PM. See department secretary for details.
- More to be announced.
Archived Announcements
- Summer Intern Opportunities: Brooklyn Navy Yard had direct collaboration with our College and hired many of our City Tech students in the past as summer interns. The internship program in Brooklyn Navy Yard is open to accept applications. A variety of intern positions are offered by the companies inside Brooklyn Navy Yard. Check details by clicking the link: https://brooklynnavyyard.org/employment/summer-internship/
- Brooklyn Tech Triangle U is back! The Be.In Symposium (formerly known as “Brooklyn Tech Triangle U” is back in this April! It features a series of exciting events, panels, networking events that bring together the technology, digit media andeducation community from Downtown Brooklyn, DUMBO and BNY. See http://beinbrooklyn.org/symposium/ for details.
- NJ Tech Council IoT Conference 2017 on April 26, 2017: The annual NJ Tech Council IoT Conference 2017 will feature AWS IoT cloud and AT&T foundry, Smart City, smart transportation, many IoT projects demo and networking reception. It will be hold at Steven Insititution of Technology, Hoboken, NJ, on April 26, 2017. If interested, please contact Dr. Li for free-registration promotion code by April 12. See the link here for detailed conference agenda.
- Brooklyn Tech Triangle Technology Company Tour is scheduled on Friday, April 8, 2016. See the Blackboard for details.
- Good news: Schneider Electric is Hiring! Schneider Electric is one of the leading companies in the fields of energy managment and infrastruture equipments all over the global. It has several different openning, both full-time and part-time. They come to our campus to recruit. You are highly suggested to attend their info session on March 3, 2015, 1-2PM, at room N402. They will come back on March 19 for interviewing. Please see CET Dept. Secretary for more details!
- Brooklyn Tech Triangle U: A series of events to connect the Tech+Arts+Academic communities in Brooklyn MetroTech, DUMBO and Brooklyn Navy Yard. Career events on March 5 and 6, 2015: http://brooklyntechtriangle.com/tech-u/#career-events
- MobileWeek NY 2015 Hiring Mixer: Join the official MobileWeek Hiring Mixer hosted at Yelp! Which is free for all developers and designers! Date: April 21, 2015, 5:30 PM – 8:30 PM, Venue: YELP! Office NYC | 11 Madison Ave, 16th Floor, New York, NY 10010 See MobileWeek official website for details: http://mobileweek.co/hiring/